Rep. Stanley Supports Unemployment Assistance and Local Governance Bills
Rep. Stanley is supporting legislation filed by Gov. Baker “An Act to Address Challenges in Town Governance Resulting from COVID-19.” This legislation is designed to provide flexible solutions for communities across the Commonwealth as the challenges of the COVID-19 epidemic disrupt the normal conduct of administering Town government.
The bill creates several options for Towns to address the immediate problem that COVID-19 and the risks of large, public gatherings present to Town Meetings that may be scheduled to occur in the coming weeks. The bill would permit the Moderator of Town meeting to declare a 30-day postponement due to a “public health emergency” after consulting with the Select Board, a provision that parallels existing authority on the grounds of a “public safety emergency.” In addition, to accommodate the possibility of longer delays, the bill would permit a Select Board to vote to extend the date of annual Town Meeting beyond the existing statutory cut-off of June 30.
Recognizing that delays and extensions may not provide an optimal solution for every Town and that the continuing health risks associated with COVID-19 work against the normal incentive to encourage full attendance at Town Meeting, the bill would also permit Towns to reduce quorum requirements for Town Meeting as a short-term measure in order to permit communities to conduct their most pressing business with a reduced number of members in attendance.
Gov. Baker also filed a bill entitled “An Act Authorizing Waiver of the One Week Waiting Period for Unemployment Benefits.” This legislation provides immediate financial relief to persons who become separated from work as a result of the outbreak of COVID-19 or as a consequence of actions taken to prevent the spread of the virus.
The bill directs the Director of the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) to waive the normal one-week waiting period and immediately begin paying benefits to any otherwise eligible person who has become separated from work as a result of any circumstance relating to or resulting from the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus or measures taken in response to state of emergency. This means that DUA would be authorized to pay benefits without delay to persons who become unemployed because of lay-offs or business shutdowns taken in response to the virus, because of quarantine orders or directives or illness that prevents them from leaving their homes, or because they must care for a sick or quarantined family member or attend to children who are at home due to school closures.
In order to be certain that unemployment benefits will be available to all persons who may face interruption in work as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Director of DUA will immediately be filing emergency regulations to ensure similar flexibility in the application of rules that do not require a statutory adjustment.